anything goes

Idioms and Phrases

Everything is permitted, as in You're wearing sneakers to the office?—Why not? Anything goes these days . This idiom began life as everything goes , which appeared in George Meredith's novel The Egoist (1879). In America anything was the preferred word, which gained further currency with Cole Porter's use of the term as the title of his 1934 song and musical comedy, Anything Goes!

Example Sentences

We have entered the “anything goes” phase of religious exemptions.

From The Daily Beast

When I first heard about the sport, I assumed that it was a “no holds barred” cage match where pretty much anything goes.

From The Daily Beast

Is this a concession in the land of the anything goes world of Juggalos?

From The Daily Beast

He shook his head knowingly, as if to intone the word ‘New York,’ were to intone a universal spirit of ‘anything goes’.

From The Daily Beast

But if anything goes wrong, look out—and not just in the region, but on the Potomac too.

From The Daily Beast

When anything goes out of the frying-pan into the fire, it is usually productive of interesting by-products.

From Project Gutenberg

You must leave me some address, though, in case anything goes wrong during your absence.

From Project Gutenberg

By keeping your hand on the clutch lever you may stop forward motion instantly if anything goes wrong.

From Project Gutenberg

I'll pay your boss for the whole flock if anything goes wrong.

From Project Gutenberg

If anything goes wrong, I've got to have time to get from under.

From Project Gutenberg